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Tuesday, November 30, 2010

All those amazing deals started online on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, so, yeah, I took advantage. Hey, I had the funds, & I'd already finished my gift shopping, honest! There's just some holiday gift-making left (altho' the biggie -- our Real Travels calendar -- is done; check it out on CafePress. This is one of our annual gifts to the family).

So today, I received some of my purchases in the mail: 3 pairs of black stripey tights from We Love Colors (in fuschia, maroon, & rubine), & then two pairs of shoes from Aldo, shown below.

Both of these were practical purchases as they replace somewhat similar shoes that are falling apart. I desperately needed some low, flat boots that were a little dressy (e.g., not hiking boots). The Aerosoles I wore to the department offsite are starting to separate from the soles & tear at the heel, so I think they're beyond repair. They lived a good, long life -- got to traipse around several continents & enjoyed their last kicks with cute goats. Can't ask for much more.

The flats are another reasonable option, because I find myself with limited practical shoes. Not that I'm a big fan of them anymore (someday soon, I'll ramble on about how I gave up dull comfort shoes for style). But this type of shoe is an ideal mix of cute 'n comfy. Actually, both these pairs were quite comfortable, & I foresee wearing them often.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Well, just a teeny touch of red. The best part is the awesome red manicure that I did on Sunday afternoon at my pal Sarah's (of Yet Another Blog About Fashion) house. She's really into nail polish & has a great collection of colors, so I took advantage, while we drank wine & watched silly British comedies. Good times!

Winter is finally hitting NorCal, in so much as we have winter. This morning's photoshoot was freakin' cold! But I didn't want to wear a coat because that would cover up my outfit. The things I do for fashion...

*This is the last pair of plain ol' black tights -- I cleaned out my tights drawer of all the ratty, cheapo tights in anticipation of being replaced by a bunch of those faaaaaabulous Calvin Kleins that I ordered during Black Friday online madness. Of course, that means I'm stuck wearing either fishnets or pants until the order arrives, eep! I think there might be some more semi-decent tights in the laundry pile.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Calvin Klein has those faaaaaaabulous tights on sale -- a 2-pack for $15 instead of $20. So a mere $10 each for the most comfy, durable black tights I've found. Also comes in grey, teal, berry, & a few knit patterns. But stock up on the ever-classic black & you won't be sorry.

So, I did manage to get pix of what I wore on Thanksgiving -- tho' it turned out to be more difficult than my usual 7:30am photoshoot because my front porch was too dark at noon & the backyard was too bright. Go figure!

I swear, getting decent pictures is the hardest part about this blog. I have a great camera (a Canon G9), which I know how to use & have taken tons of fantastic outdoor landscape & architectural shots all over the world. But timer-&-tripod photos of me? Horrrible! Plus, I've never thot I'm all that photogenic. Getting decent pix of myself in costume has always been difficult except with a few really amazing photographers who can style a picture well. But me, going fast, on a timer? Torture. Oh well. The point is to get the clothes.

On Thanksgiving, my hubbi & I first went to his dad & stepmom's house for an early dinner (we only ate a little there) to see his grandmother, aunt, & cousins. Then we had our actual dinner at my mom & stepdad's house where his mom & stepdad joined us, along with my parents' old family friends who are like my aunt & uncles. It was a long afternoon/evening of good food, wine, conversations, & fun. We left Mom's house with a ton of leftovers, even 2 bottles of wine!

At some point late Wednesday / early Thursday, I found out that a lot of clothing stores already have their Black Friday sales online. Hah! New York & Company has everything in the store 50% off, plus free shipping on orders over $99, which I easily made. And Kohl's has a ton of things 40% off, with free shipping on orders over $75, also easily done.

In the past when I've done a little shopping around this time of year, it's all been Xmas gifts. But this year, I've already bought my gifts & have a start on the handmade gifts. So, hey, it's OK to shop for me! And the stuff was all on super-duper sale, sweeeeeet.

Today, all I'm buying is a programmable thermostat because our house is freezing, thanks to the thermostat breaking during this week's coldsnap. I *might* hit the thrift store too because I have some DIY ideas, but otherwise, it's sewing & stuff around the house.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

I don't really shop on Black Friday or even Cyber Monday -- I tend to spread my holiday shopping out around the month or, better yet, around the year (but if you are shopping this weekend, Alterations Needed is collecting an handy list of clothing store & online discounts!). I've already bought gifts online for my sweetie, & during the long Thanksgiving weekend, I'll be making presents for our parents & a few friends. I might even get a head-start on decorating the house & pick some recipes to bake for the office cookie swap.

Like everyone, of course, I love to receive gifts! Both nifty things from stores & handmade goodies. Not that anyone reading this is obligated to give me stuff, but in the immortal words of Debbie Harry, dreaming is free ;-)

Here are some fashionable faves that I've collected on my Amazon Wish List, thanks to the handy universal "add to wish list" button. Hoping my hubbi picks something lovely from there for me (& I'll be good & not view "purchased").

How about some DIY gifts? Not always cheap or fast, but they can be fun. My family has a tradition of making at least half our gifts, so I'm forever on the lookout for more ideas.

Here are a few fashion-focused projects I found that can be made gothy too, depending on your choice of materials:

10 tote bag patterns & instructions -- I made tote bags (aka, reusable grocery bags) for everyone a few years back & they were a hit. I bought thrift-store sheets in wild colors for the fabric. Some of the ideas on that link include reusing dish towels, tank tops, & pillowcases. Clever.

Fabric hair flowers -- Make Magazine has a super-easy idea for creating practically no-sew hair ornaments. Simply Vintage Girl has another twist on that method to make flower pins, which looks pretty awesome. For a flat petal style, V and Co. has a detailed tutorial that requires only hot gluing. If you want a big, fluffy fabric flower, check out my tips for sewing fabric roses. Attach any of these to a bobby pin or clip for the hair or a safety pin to use as a brooch.

DIY skinny ties -- Be still my New Wave heart! Here's a tutorial for taking a fat thrift-store tie & turning it into a totally bitchin' skinny tie. Killer for dudes & dudettes.

12 ruffled T-shirt tutorials -- I can't decide if this is something that's a great re-use project or a waste of effort because ruffled T-shirts are in every store, at every price. However, I haven't always found them in dark colors (too many pastels!), so maybe this is a worthwhile DIY. On the other hand, simply adding bows (like Adventures in Dressmaking shows) or other trim is a nifty, easy, inexpensive way to transform a basic tee into a fashionable gift...

So, who's been naughty & who's been nice? What's on your list & where are you shopping this year? Making any fashionable DIY gifts? What should I be getting for you?

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Working from home the rest of this short, holiday week -- no more outfits, so just bloggy blather from me! You've been warned...

Recently, Mina at Sweetly Caustic said: "Where you work matters more than your subculture." Which is so true! And it's not just about what you "have to" wear at at work, it's about how you're perceived at work.

Many Silicon Valley tech companies (like where I work) are casual & don't have stated or perceived dress codes. But if you're giving a presentation or in an important meeting, you want to dress to impress, not distract.

That's why I like to combine corporate with gothic. I feel this mix gives me a professional edge. Sure, I could wear bustle skirts to the office, but I'd have to work harder to be seen for my talents (OK, & those skirts would get caught in the rolling desk chair, which already happens if I wear a long skirt at all ;-). Being more subtle about my style shows I'm creative but not unapproachable, which fits well for a writer & editor who has to interact with a wide range of people inside the company.

Reminds me of a post going around the fashion blogosphere recently on appropriate attire by Freeda. I can't agree more with what she said! The art of dressing appropriate to the occasion seems to be a bit lost today, & people will show up at weddings in skimpy clubwear or funerals in T-shirts. Wrongity wrong wrong.

What's just as bad is the Left Coast casual trend, where people think jeans are appropriate for any occasion. No, they are not. You should not wear jeans to the opera (sorry, Steve Jobs, as much as I adore your products, you can afford a tux).

While my company specifically tells interviewees to dress casual -- a suit here would be outlandish -- there is such a thing as too casual for the office. I'm not a fan of shorts & flip-flops at work unless you are employed on the set of "Baywatch." Micro-minis only belong in job settings that serve cocktails, especially in Las Vegas. Yet I've seen both at my office. *sigh*

We once interviewed a woman who wore jeans & a tight knit top which struggled mightily to contain her rather voluminous chest. All of the interview panel were female, & while we were uncomfortable discussing the topic of the candidate's clothes, we eventually did mention it. Frankly, her style was distracting, & we were concerned that it didn't show attention to detail -- a quality crucial to a copy-editor. By the end of the interview process, her editing skills showed to be lacking compared to other candidates, which seemed to back up our first impressions. It comes back to how you're perceived -- you don't want your choice of clothing to plant seeds of doubt in people's minds at an event as important as a job interview.

Monday, November 22, 2010

I bought a new purse this weekend to replace my giganto everyday purse that was developing tragic tears in the handles. The new one is approximately the same size & similar shape, but real leather & a bit more stylish. I especially dig the random metal bits on the sides, so very hardcore, heh. Oh, & it cost $81, which is more than any purse I have ever bought (it was on sale, regular price over $100!).

I could count on one hand the pairs of shoes I've bought that cost more than this purse. Well... less than two hands, at least, during my whole lifetime ;-) But never a purse. Even tho' I carry a bag of some sort every day & tend to put a ton of junk useful stuff in my bag. I live out of my purse the way some people live out of their cars (perhaps because I don't drive). Yet I buy cheap bags or at least ones on discount.

The last two have been from Marshalls & DSW, faux leather, around $30 each. Lasted pretty well tho', about 2 years per. And I'm not a purse-switcher -- too much trouble, except for evening bags. I will use the same purse for months, if not a year.

Hopefully, this fancy-dancy purse will last a good, long time & prove a worthy investment!

Friday, November 19, 2010

I like to make things for myself -- I'm a crafty chick, & I get this tendency from my mom. In fact, Mom & I went to a huge bead show recently where I picked up a ton of amazing beads to make some more jewelry for myself.

But don't be fooled. Doing it yourself isn't necessarily a budget-saving option. It *can* be, if you're extremely careful & get all your materials from thrift stores & are rehabbing stuff that's already in your closet. But obviously, that ain't always the case, particularly if you want a specific style, you're trying to match things, or you want unique materials.

In this necklace, the black & white beads are hand-carved, hand-painted bone from Africa, & one strand cost $12. I used about 2/3rds for the necklace. The black beads are real jet from Morocco, which cost $15 per strand. I needed about 2/3rds strand. I don't recall the cost of the beading wire, lobster clasp, crimp beads, & head pin, because I bought them all in bulk. Let's just say about $2 total for all of those items. The black & white, hand-painted bead at the center cost about $10. The pearls on the top & bottom of this pendant were part of a bulk purchase, so I'd estimate about $2 for them total. So we have approximately $32 in materials for one necklace. That doesn't account for about an hour's labor on my part either (minimum wage in California is $8/hour, & I'd like to think this is skilled labor). And it doesn't count the driving around (actually to two bead shows, 2 years apart!), admission to the bead shows (which I guess could be divided among *all* the stuff I bought there ;-), & shipping on some of the findings.

Would I have bought the same necklace for $40+ in a store? If I knew that the materials were high quality & not plastic imitations, yeah, there's a good chance. The problem is that we see so many crappy versions at chain stores these days. Stuff made of resin & stamped from tin, assembled by kids in third-world countries who are paid pennies a day. We don't know the real value of goods anymore.

Doing it yourself isn't really about saving money. It's about realizing the true value of goods. When you have made a necklace or a shirt or a pair of pants yourself, you gain a better understanding of what goes into that item. You can value workmanship & skill more intimately. The more things you make for yourself, the more you'll understand, appreciate, & value quality. And you might not mind paying more for it.

All of this applies to artisan-made goods as well. A necklace on Etsy or at a craft faire may have a similar cost-of-materials list going into it, plus more labor, plus overhead for workspace, plus all the costs of running a small business. A $40, $50, $60 necklace starts to seem like a decent value when you consider what really goes into it.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

I think I may wear a sweater every day this week. For the hell of it. I have drawers full of 'em, including a bunch of new ones I bought in the past few months in a fall-ramp-up (as if I didn't own enough sweaters *hangs head*).

So this belted boyfriend cardigan is a new style I'm trying out -- what do you think? I don't often follow mainstream trends. Sure, I read about them (I like to indulge in shallow fashion magazines, especially when I travel! nothing distracts me from the horrors of being trapped in an economy-class airplane seat better than a cocktail & a huge stack of Vogue, Glamour, Marie Claire, & similar mags). But I don't do much about it more often than once in a blue moon.

When goth stuff is trendy, I'll stock up, of course. Note the Chanel Vamp. OMG, fave. lipstick! That's what got me hooked on fancy makeup years ago. Every so often, ruffles or velvets or lace will become fashionable, so my fellow goth-fashionistas & I will haunt the chain stores to buy out everything that fits our aesthetic. The fabulous Lady of the Manners has addressed this topic in her Gothic Charm School column, "Black Is This Year's Black."

But returning to my issue -- incorporating non-goth trends into a gothic wardrobe. Can it be done, if one wishes to try? Well, you're looking at it. Does it work? I'm thinking so. Obviously, the key is doing it in dark colors & pairing with traditionally goth accessories like spiderweb stockings & shiny black patent. But I'm open to pro & con opinions. Are there current trends you are adding to your gothy wardrobe?

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

I *big puffy heart* sweaters, especially cardigans, despite the fact that I live in almost-seasonless Northern California. We have a dry, warm spring & summer (punctuated by a few weeks of scorching summer hotness, here & there), followed by a damp, cool, short winter, with almost no fall. Currently, in early November, it's in the high 70s / low 80s.

Yesterday, I wore a cardigan & boots & felt a skosh too warm. So today, I wore a skimpy cami under a cardigan, plus pants, thinking I'd be perfectly comfortable. Nope! I was freezing in the office AC, & then chilled during my light rail/bus commute home (my evening carpool, aka my darling husband, had to work late). Can't win either way!

Monday, November 15, 2010

I love matchy-matchyness, & I don't care who knows it! Matching colors in an outfit may not be hip or trendy, but I don't care. I'm bound to do it, matching comes naturally to me, I like it. So there :-P

I love swapping out buttons on clothes. It's an easy way to customize & improve garments. Let's face it, the buttons on most less-expensive garments kind of suck. They're chintzy plastic & it shows. You can buy better buttons at a fabric store, or hunt around for really awesome vintage buttons.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Well, after a week's worth of outfits, I guess it's time to tell people this blog exists. I'm still not satisfied with the quality of my photos, just gotta keep working on that. But I've managed to fit *taking* them into my workaday schedule, which is impressive. Let's hope I can keep that up!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

My husband & I were going to dinner at a fancy restaurant after work, so I planned an outfit I could wear pretty much as-is from the office to dinner (we were stopping briefly at home first to feed the cats, so I might change shoes, but not enough time for a complete change of clothes; besides, what PITA).

A word about these faaaaaaaabulous tights. I really must buy a bajillion more pairs because I only have two right now & these are, hands down, the most comfortable tights I've ever worn. I wear black tights all the time, year round, so I'm always buying them, but I'm a cheapskate & tend to grab ones from Target or whatever is on sale. There was some huge sale at Macy's, which is how these designer hose ended up in my house.

OMG, best tights evar! So comfy, such a perfect fit, even on my short 'n curvy bod. The medium size (I think it's called "B/C") is just right for my weight without being insanely too long for my little legs. The waistband is wide, smooth, stays put, & does not pinch or pull. The ankles don't sag. I've had these tights for maybe 6 months, worn & washed them dozens of times, & they're holding up great. Highly recommended!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

My department had an "offsite" today -- for those who don't understand corpspeak, this is an event that takes place outside the office & is part team-building exercise, part reward for doing a decent job all year. The point is to go somewhere, do things together that aren't related to your jobs, & hopefully have fun. And we did!

The editorial team went to a goat farm on the coast, where we had a tour, met a bunch of adorable goats, learned all about how goat cheese is made, & then we "made" some cheese ourselves. Really, we just pressed soft cheese into forms & added edible flowers & herbs. Then we had a big lunch.

Since I knew this was happening, I wore something casual, like what I'd wear on the weekends. Plus boots I didn't mind getting mucky & stepping in goat poop with (which happened a lot)...

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

My wardrobe contains a lot of pretty mainstream labels & less pricey ones at that. Target, Old Navy, & thrift stores figure prominently into my shopping patterns. The Gap is one of the more expensive places I shop, & then it's primarily for pants because, wow, they fit my curvy shortness. I occasionally buy expensive shoes -- & I tend to love the hell out of them -- but even so, a lot of my shoes are from DSW-type sales racks or from swaps with friends.

The one thing that I really don't have much are clothes from typically gothic brands. Partly, this is because I don't dress wildly over-the-top on a regular basis. But more often, this is because I'm not thrilled with the quality & fit of labels like Lip Service or Tripp. If I spend $30 on a blazer from Target, I won't cry if it falls apart in a year (tho' they tend not to). But the goth brands tend to sell a jacket for $60, of a quality that is likely to fall apart in a year. Not great.

I'll pay more for well-constructed pieces. I've sewn clothing since I was a kid, so I understand how things are made & how different materials wear & last. But I like to pick my battles -- not every single garment or accessory needs to be top-notch. Structured, tailored items can look crappy if they're made poorly or of cheap materials, so those are worth a few more bucks. Less fitted garments & stretchy clothes don't show their own flaws (or yours) quite as dramatically.

I don't pay much for summer sandals & plan to replace them every year or two. An occasional pair of ridiculous heels should be cheap because I won't wear them often or for very long. Boots are always worth shelling out money for in my book.

The best part of this outfit, imnsho, are the shoes. I bought them as a 40th birthday gift to me at the Irregular Choice boutique on Carnaby Street in London.

These shoes never fail to get compliments. Even the male engineers at work -- the ones who wear sweatshirts, shorts, & flip-flops 365 days a year -- they admire these shoes. Women demand to know where I got them. Gay men swoon over them.

I can wear these shoes with a casual work outfit, as shown, or with a little black dress for an evening out. The heel is just the right height to be reasonably walkable all day or danceable all night.

These shoes rock my small, dark world!

Worth a bonus mention is the necklace. I like making this kind of stuff -- simple additions, takes a few minutes, but has a big impact. And, obviously, goes well with my wardrobe.

Friday, November 5, 2010

It's another work-from-home day (Fridays always are, some Tuesdays are too), so I'm wearing yoga pants & a black gothy-logo T-shirt, so no real outfit to speak of. But I did want to mention a topic near & dear to my heart: acessories.

One of my mantras is that the ability to acessorize is what sets us apart from the lower primates. Usually, I'm applying this to costume endeavors, because few things sadden me as much as a person who's gone thru the trouble to create a fantastic historical gown, but then wears it with a completely modern hairstyle, obviously modern shoes, and a big ol' honkin' modern purse. Plus a wristwatch. UGH. Absolutely ruins the look.

In an everyday wardrobe, accessories (to which I include hairstyle and makeup) give us a chance to personalize, polish, add flair, and show creativity in an outfit. Basic black becomes "wow" and "you" with the right jewelry, shoes, makeup, whatever. These extra pieces can be crucial to making your signature look. For example, many goths wear boots, but if you wear hot-pink boots with an all-black outfit & the boots coordinate with hot-pink nail polish & lipstick, you've clearly got your own thing going.

On the right is closeup from yesterday (late in the day, thus my dear hubbi could take a pic for me on my iPhone!). I was wearing a rather busy blouse, what with the almost-pinstripes, & every necklace I tried on got lost in the pattern. So I skipped it & stuck with big silver earrings. That felt like enough jazz around my face.

Usually, I would wear a necklace, & I have a huge collection of vintage items, things I've made myself, plus stuff found at pretty much any kind of store you can imagine.

Yesterday, I pulled my hair back on the sides. One thing that irritates me is when women keep their hair long with the excuse that "you can do more things with long hair" but then they don't actually do anything with it. I enjoy wearing clips, pins, headbands, scarves, even scrunchies Back In The Day. Do stuff with that hair! I'm wearing a big burgundy rosette on one side, which echoes the color of my boots (see yesterday's full pix).

Finally, makeup. I loooooove makeup! But I really only wear lipstick. Dark or bright lipstick, every time I'm in public (ok, I don't care if I'm running to go get groceries, but otherwise, I needs me some lippie). Because I wear glasses & can't wear contacts, most eye makeup is kind of wasted on me other than eyeliner (mascara tends to fleck off onto my glasses lenses, which either means my lashes are naturally long or I'm using crappy mascara; maybe a touch of both ;-). I will swipe a little shadow on for some depth, but it mostly doesn't show behind my frames. Thus, it's all about the lipstick. And on days when my skin is looking spotty or blotchy, some tinted moisturizer (just discovered Benefit's amazing You Rebel, feels great, wears all day very nicely).

Other things I wear every day include about 5 silver rings, including my wedding & engagement rings. Sometimes I add a gigantic cocktail ring, but the everyday rings are pretty low profile. On my left wrist, I wear a studded leather cockring. I have recently given up wearing a wristwatch to the office because I realized I'm surrounded by clocks there. I do wear one whenever I'm out & about on the bus, since it's easier to look down at my wrist than to dig around for my phone in my purse.

Speaking of my purse, while I absolutely adore bags (& making them!), I've found there's little point in buying a bunch of different purses because I hate taking all my crap out of one bag & transferring it to a new one just for fashion. I'll suffer in crazy shoes, but not that! So I go thru months-long bag phases. For quite a while, I've been using a ginormous black satchel with a series of little buckled pockets on the front. It's almost sloppy but almost structured, so it moves from office to weekends with ease.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Not sure how well this blog will work out if I can't get decent photos. The light is poor in the early a.m. when I'm rushing to snap a pic & get to my carpool. I tried w/the camera-on-tripod indoors & out, & neither really satisfies. Then there's the fact that I tend to have an overly serious expression on my face when nobody's around. Feh.

Typical workday, where I sit at a computer & communicate with people thru instant messenger & email, rarely phone. Had one meeting & a couple "stand around our desks & talk about a project" type meetings.

I could wear boring crap to the office, but would that really help anything? I don't think so.

And a closeup of the skirt trim, which I sewed myself. Used a strip of grey & black striped silk, 2 kinds of lace, & black velvet ribbon. All of which were from my fabric stash.

I'd say this is a fairly typical outfit to work. The jacket means it's more pulled-together -- on a lazier day, I'd just wear a sweater or blouse. But still, it's classic CorpGoth, meaning monochromatic jazzed-up with a bit of texture & trim.

Corporate + Goth?

Yes indeed, goths can grow up and work in big corporations. If you're a young person wondering if you can work a Real Job while not totally sacrificing your dark alternative fashion sense, this is the place for you. Or if you're simply wondering how gothic & other subcultural folks can look "professional" in an office setting, welcome to my little fashion show.